This invention relates to the treatment of living tissues and/or cells by altering their interaction with charged species in their environment. More particularly, the invention relates to an electromagnetic body-treatment device for surgically non-invasive modification of the growth, repair and maintenance behavior of living tissues and cells by a specific and selective change in electrical environment.
Ryaby, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,105,017, 4,266,532 and 4,266,533 describe means for effecting surgically non-invasive direct inductive coupling to an afflicted body region, whereby one or more electric voltage and concomitant current signals conform to a highly specific pattern and have been found to develop therapeutically beneficial treatment of the afficted region, as for example in the enhancement of repair of bone fractures, non-unions, and the like. In general, the involved treatment head or heads have involved one or more large coils, which have served well for the treatment of large-member bones, as in leg regions. And various special-purpose coil and head configurations have been disclosed for specific treatments. In general, it may be said that it has been preferred practice to employ a treatment-head configuration in which two like coils are electrically connected in flux-aiding relation and have flexibly articulated connection to enable strapped application on opposite sides of an afflicted limb, and with the coils on a common axis of magnetic-flux development through the afflicted region. However, for certain injuries, such as bone injury in the carpal-navicular region of the arm, it becomes very awkward, bothersome, and inconvenient to use the conventional articulated-coil technique, in that use of the arm must be severely curtailed, due primarily to treatment-head considerations. It is also a source of considerable inconvenience, during treatments, to limit the patient to plugged-in electrical connection to a desk or otherwise mounted signal generator.
Pending U.S. application Ser. No. 473,801, filed Mar. 9, 1983 begins to address the problem of the patient's personal inconvenience, by disclosing expendable single-use coil structures of light weight and bulk, intended for embedment in a conventional cast and with removable plug-in connection to the pulse-signal generator, the generator being in accordance with said Ryaby, et al. patents. The patient is not encumbered by coil bulk outside his cast, but his connection to a desk or table-mounted generator unit is required for each therapeutic treatment.